Tide motor



June 112, 1923. 31,458,372

J. TESTA TIDE MOTOR F iled June 25. 1921 GM IE- I? LU 671760 7-: J55 6])70 Team Fig. 2.

Patented June 12, 1923.,

rare JOSEPH TESTA,O1? EAST BosToN, MASSACHUSETTS;

Tina Moron.

Application filed June 25, 1921'. sr'ial m. 480,2251.

To, all whomz't my concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH TESTA, a subject of the King of Italy, residing at East Boston, in he county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Tide Motors, of which the following is a specification. I

This invention relates to a tide motor and has for its object'to provide a device by means of which the ebb and flow or" the tide may be utilized to generate power.

The invention eonsists in the combination aiid ari'ange'rhentof parts whereby the above objects'an'd certain other objects may be attained as hereinafter set forth in the specification and partieularly pointed out vin the claims thereof. 7

Referringto the drawings:

Figure '1 represents'a plan view of a portion of a dam separating two bodies of water, a device embodying my invention being illustrated in connection therewith.

Fig. 2 represents. a transverse section through the dam taken on the line 22 of 1 Fig; 1, certain portions of the inventionbeing illustrated in section and other portions thereof being illustrated in elevation.

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

In the drawings, 5 represents a dam havmg; longitudinally extending retaining walls 6 and '7 connected together by transverse walls 8 thereby, reinforcing the retaining walls 6 and T and also forming wells 9 in the darn 5. The dam 5 preferably extends across an inlet or arm of the ocean where there is a rise and tall 01" tide or across a river and may be of any length according to the Width of the body of water which it divides, and said dam may be provided with any desired number of wells 9, each of which has two separate power units A and B located therein, one of which is operated by a flow of water in one direction, while the other is operated by the flow of water in the other direction. A suitable sluice-way (not illustrated in the drawings) or plurality of the same if required are provided in the darn 5 through which the water may pass as the tide rises in order that the area above the darn and which constitutes a reservoir may be filled with water with each rise of the tide.

Each well 9 is adapted to hold a quantity of water which is admitted and discharged as required through gate valves 10 and 11 being guided by wheels 13 fast thereto which contact with the inner surface ofthe walls 6, 7 and 8. Extending through the walls 6 and 7 are sluice-wayslwhich are lways closed through the medium of gates 15, preferably of tubular construction, which are fastened to the fioats 12 by brackets 16 and said gates rise and fall with said float-s. The gates are slidab'ly mounted in guideways 17, preferably tubular in form, to receive the gates 15 which are 1 water tight fit therein and are of sufiieient height to always close the sluice-ways 14: noniatter in whatposition thefloat 12 may be located, or to what height the water level may be on eitherside of the dam 5. The guide-ways 17 are slotted at 18 to correspond to the width ofthe sluice-ways 14 and to Allow for the insertion of inlet pipes 19 and discharge pipes 20 which extend transversely through the gates 15 and into the sluice-ways 1 1.

Located within the float 12 are the power units A and B each comprising a housing 21- in which is mounted a m-er whel22 v-rhich is fast to :t shaft 23 oi an electric generator 24: of well known, construction. The inlet pipe 19 connects with an inlet passage 25 of the housing 21 and has gate valve 26 therein adapted to control the passage of water to said housing while the dis; charge pipe 20 connects with adi'schai'ge mesa-53:32? of theh usin 21 and has a gate valve 28 provided therein. h

The float 12 may be raised and lowered by rneans of a vertica'llydisp'o'sed screw threaded shaft 29 which has screw-threaded en-' gageni'ent with a member 30 constituting a nut provided upon said float, the said screwtlireade'd shaft being rotated by means of a hand wheel 31 and bevelled gear 32 fast a shaft 33 mounted in a bearing 3la, said bevelled gear 32 meshing with and driving another bevelled gear 35 fast to the screwthreaded shaft 29. The water within the well 9 furtherniore acts to support the float .12 and give buoyancy there-tov thereby relievinp} the straw-threaded Shea 29 of a greater portion of the weight of the float and the parts carried thereby. When the water has been entirely drained from the well 9, the float may be raised entirely by means of the screw-threaded shaft 29.

The general operation of the device is as follows; Assuming that the, level of the water upon one side of the dam is at its high level as illustrated in Fig. 2, while upon the other side of the dam the bodyz of water is at its low level, the float 12 with the partsflmounted thereonare also posi tioned as illustrated in said figure. The

r gate valves 26 and 28 of the power unit A are then open and thewater from the body of the same, which is at its highflevel will pass through the inletpipe 19to the wheel housing 21 rotating the wheel; 22 therein, and

then flowing outwardly throug'hthe pipe 20 and be dischargedinto the body of water upon the oppositeside of the dam. As the level of water above the dam'is lowered, the

float12 Within the well 9 is also lowered as required by, rotating the screw-threaded shaft '29 in the proper direction by means of the hand-wheel 31 and bevelled gears 32 and 35,1while at the same time regulating the level ofthe water Within the well 9 through the medium ofthe gate valve 10. When, on the other hand, the water has all been discharged from one side of the dam andthe level of thewater uponthe other side of the dam has been raised as, for example, by the rise'of the tide the valves 26 and 28 of the power unit A are closed and the correspond- "ing'valves of the power unit B are open, and

water is allowed to ass through the pipes 19 and 20 and thew eel housing 21 of the latter unit in an opposite directionnfrom which the water passed through the power unit A, and the electric generator 24 of the power unit B is operated in a manner similar to the power unit A previously described. During the raising and lowering of the float l2 the gates 15 fastened thereto.

always close "the sluice-ways Hand all the water that passes through the dam 5 is obliged t o-pass throughthe inlet pipe 19, wheel housing 21 and discharge pipe 2Q.

' I claim:

1. A device of the character described having,;in combination, a dam providedwith a well having. water therein and having aplurality of sluice-ways extending through the walls thereof and connecting with said well,

float'located in said well, a shaft having I screw-threaded engagement with saidfloat,

means to rotate said shaft and thereby raise and lower said float, a plurality of gates fast to said float and adapted to prevent water from entering said well through said sluice-ways, a water wheel mounted upon said float, means to conduct water from one side of, said dam to said water wheel torotate thesame and means to discharge'saidater from said water wheel at the other side of'said dam.

2. A device of plurality of sluice-ways extending through the walls thereof and connecting with said well, a plurality of tubular guideways provided with oppositely disposed slots align j ing with said sluice-ways, a float located in said well, a. shaft having serew-threade dengagement with said float, means to rotate said shaft and therebyfraise and lower said float, aplura-lity of tubular gates fast to said float slidably mounted in 'saidtubular guideways' and adapted to prevent water from entering said well through said sluicemeans to conduct "water from one side of said dam to said water wheel to rotate the same, means to discharge said water from said water wheel at the other side of the water in said well] 8. A device of the character described having, in combination, a dam provided with a well having water therein and having a.

the character described having, in combination, a dam provided with i a 'wellhaving water therein and having aways, 'a water wheelmounted upon said float,

said dam and means to vary the level of plurality of sluice-ways extending through the 'walls thereof'and connecting'with said well, a plurality of tubular guideways provided with oppositely disposed slots aligning with said sluice-ways, a float located in said well, a shaft having screwethreaded engagement with said'float, means to rotate said shaft and thereby raise and lower said said dam, a pipe extending through a gate upon one sideof said dam to said' water wheel adapted to conduct water to said water wheel to rotate the same and a pipe extending from said water wheel through a gate upon the other side of said dam adapted to discharge said water from said water wheel.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand inpresence of two subscribing witnesses. I p

JOSEPH TESTAM- Witnesses: I v I FRANKLIN E. Low, KATHRYN JoYcE,

llU 

